Apparatus for treating molds used in the art of electrotyping.



G. E. DUNTON.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MOLDS USED IN THE ART OF BLEGTROTYPING.

APYLIUATION FILED mm 23, 1914.

1,128,666. Patented Feb. 16, 1915. I a 3 SHEETS-gHEBT 1.

V II

THE NORRIS PETERS c0. PHOTC-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C.

G. E. DUNTON.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MOLDS USED IN THE ART OF BLEOTBOTYIING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1914.

1,128,666. Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

In J 6.

l5 I7 23 /z I I III IIIIIII/II/I/A QI/ llIIIIII/IIIIIIIII/I/IIII/IIIII/IIM T w 3 w "HE NORRIS PETERS CD4, PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

G. E. DUNTON. APPARATUS FOR TREATING MOLDS USED IN THE ART OF BLEGTROTYPING.

APILICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1914. I 1,128,666. Patented Feb.16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

amo/wl oz GEORGE f. flan/701V HE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTO4LITHOV. WASHINGTON. D, Q

GEORGE DIL'NTQN, or mw YonK.

APPARATUS FOR TBEATINGJVLOLDS USED IN THE ART OF ELECTROTYPING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed June 23, 1914. Serial No. 846,826.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, GEORGE E. DUN'roN,

residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Apparatus for Treating Molds Used inthe Art of Electrotyping; and I do'hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, suchas Will enable others skilled in the art to Which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention-relates to an improved apparatus for treating molds used in theart of electrotyping and moreespecially to an apparatus for insulating-the mold from its molding pan or-case.

In the art of electrotyping it is necessary to use a thin sheet of some metal as aback or base for the Wax molds. These thin sheets of metal are commonly called molding pans or cases and are generally made from an alloy of lead, tin andantimo-ny known as electrotype metal, although copper and even brass sheets are used, and are usually about one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. These metal pans or cases are laid flat upon iron tables or slabs, hot Wax is poured over them and allowed to cool, strips of iron having been placed around the'edge to confine the wax. After the WaX has b eenpoured onto these pans-or cases, on one side,they are knownasfilled pans or cases and are whatthe electrotyper uses to take the impression on or make his moldin. The Wax surface-is brushed over with black lead and the original form composed of types, illustrative cuts or Whateveris desiredto be electrotyped arepressed into this mold. 'Toreceivethe desired deposit or causethe deposit on fill-lSWZL-Xlt is necessary to make the surface ofthe Wax conductive, meaning that the surface of the Wax must be made metallic, so that When the mold is placedin the electrolytic bath it shall perform its function as the cathode in the electrical circuit of \vhi'ch'it becomes a part. It is desirable, however, that only the surface of the-Wax shall be connected to or form a part of the electric circuit. To this end especially devised insulating hooks are provided for hanging-the pan or case carrying the -W2LX mold in the electrolytic bath and these hooks make' no electrical connection between the metallic-pan or case and the electrical circuit'but they connect ing of time results.

a top plan view of my apparatus.

,vation. fClGlIZLil 1, views, partly ina section, showing the different stages ofthe operation of applythe surface of the Wax mold With the said circuit. D Inblackleading the surface of a Wax mold it is impossible to confine the coating of black lead to the surface of the Wax mold alone as'it Will, no matter hoW careful you are, Work over the edges'of the Wax mold onto the'back of the pan or case, thus electrically connecting the surface of the Wax mold With-themetal pan orcase.

My invention has for its object to provide'an apparatus by Which the electrically conductive portions of the Wax mold outside the marginsof the pressed surface of the mold and molding pan or case are rendered non-conductive.

'It "further has for itsobject to provide an apparatus by which the edges and margins of the'mold and the edges andback of the molding pan or. case are treated with an insulating coating by Which they are rendered non-conductive.

It-furtherhas for its objectto providean apparatus for heating ornmelting an insulating substance and applying said insulating substance to the margins of a Wax mold and to the=back of itsmolding pan or case.

It .further-has'for its object to provide an apparatuswhich is simple and ineXpen sive' inconstruction, very.durable, easy to operate and which ,Wllll effect a great savand labor and. produce perfect It further hasfor its-object to provide an apparatus :having a vsuitable receptacle containing an insulating substance in Which theedges of a Wax mold and its molding pan or 'caseare adapted to be dipped, to a suitable depth, and the back ofv the molding .pan orcase also, coated with said insulating substance, Wherebyjthe portions treated are renderednon-conductive andthe deposit of metalis confined to the impressed-or Working portion' of the Wax mold and to any -desired portion of its margin.

The invention. consists in the. several features and-combination offeatures as more fully hereinafter;described and claimed.

' Referring t'o-the, drawings :Figure 1 is Fig.2 a"frontxele-vation;partlyjn section. Fig. 3 a central vertical cross section partly in ele- Figsqt, ,5 a11d6 arefragmentary ing the insulating or non-conductive coating. Fig. 7 a central longitudinal section of a mold and its molding pan after being treated by my apparatus.

In the drawings in which similar reference tudinally thereof, connected and communi- I eating with one another, at one end, by

means of 'a U-shaped pipe 7 A steam supply pipe 8 is connected to the cylinder 5 and a steam exhaust or return pipe 9 is connected to the cylinder 6, steam from a boiler, or any other source, is adapted to be supplied to the cylinder 5 and caused to traverse and heat both of said cylinders 5 and 6, melt the insulating substance, and pass'out bythe pipe 9 and be. returned to the boiler. The supply of steam to the cylinders 5 and 6 is regulated by means of a valve 10.

The driving shaft of the apparatus, indicated by 11, is mounted in suitable bearings 12, formed in the opposite ends of the melting pot, and a driving pulley 13 for the shaft 11 is loosely mounted on one end of said. shaft and is adapted to be connected by means of a belt 14 to any suitable source of power. A slidable clutch 15 is provided on the shaft 11 for the purpose of throwing the shaft 11 into and out of operation as desired, said clutch being operated byv means of a foot treadle or lever 16 operatively connected thereto by means of a bell-crank lever 17 and levers 18, 19 and 20 and a spiral spring 21 is provided for holding up the foot treadle. A rotatable brush 22 is rigidly mounted on the driving shaft 11 and is designed to be partly immersed in the insulating substance in the melting pot and to cause said substance to be applied and cover evenly the back of the molding pan.

On the opposite side of the melting pot from the driving shaft 11 a shaft 23 is mounted and on this shaft a roller 24, preferably covered with felt 25, is mounted and the shaft 23 is provided with a grooved pul ley 27 which is operatively connected, by means of a crossed belt 28, with a grooved v pulley 29 on the driving shaft 11. The cross ceived their coating of insulating substance,

belt is used to cause the roller 24 to turn or rotate in the opposite direction from the brush 22.

-At the rear of the melting pot a receiving rack 30 for the molds, after they have reis provided having a rim 31 and rollers 32 pan.

with a hole 33 therethrough for the purpose of receiving the usual hook by which it is suspended in the electrolytic plating bath, 34 the wax mold in which. an impression 35 .has been made by forcingja form or cut into the same by pressure and 36 a hole in alinement with hole 33 of the molding pan. A

metal connector, strip 37 is embedded to the 1 desired depth in the surface of the wax mold by heatingit and applying it to the mold while in a heated state.

38 is the insulating coating covering the edges and margins of the mold and molding into the insulating substance contained in the melting pot and 39 the insulating coating which has been applied to the back of pan after the mold has been dipped edgewise '1 the molding pan by means of the brush 22. The arrows 40 show the points where the insulating edge coating connects and merges with the coating on the back of the molding The operation is as pipe 9 to the boiler. I then take the mold 'and pan which have been prepared and follows :I place the required quantity of insulating substance blackleaded in the usual well known manner and dip them edgewise to the required depth in the insulating substance in the -melting pot, see Fig. 4 of the drawings,

which forms a coating-on one side and then continue I dipplng, one s1de after another,

until all sides have been treated to a coating. The brush 22 is then rotated by throwing in the clutch by means of the foot treadle and causing the pulley 13, which in the rotatable brush, see Fig. 5 of the drawings, and as it is pushed forward, with the brush rotating in the opposite: direction, said brush applies and distributes the insulating substance over the back of the molding pan and forms an even homogeneous coating thereon, andthe felt cov-ggered "roller, being rotated in the opposite direction from the brush, not only serves as a guide to the molding pan but applies and smooths insulating substance on the back thereof and on the completion of the coating the pan and its mold will abut against the rim of the receiving rack and rest on said rack and its rollers.

Usually it will suflice to pass the molding pan over the rotatable brush and felt covered roller once to obtain the necessary coating but it can be passed over said brush and roller as many times as is desired to acquire the requisite coating.

The method is claimed in my application for patent filed June 23d, 191 i Serial Nuinber 846825.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the specific details of construction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device to various conditions of use without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications as properly fall within the scope of my inven tion and the terms of the following claims.

That I claim is 1. In an apparatus for treating molds used in the art of electrotyping, means for applying an insulating substance to the molding pan and also means for applying additional insulating substance to the molding pan and smoothing the same, said means having an unobstructed space thereabove.

2. In an apparatus for treating molds used in the art of electrotyping, a receptacle adapted to contain an insulating substance, rotatable means for applying the insulating substance to a molding pan, rotatable means for applying additional insulating substance to a molding pan and smoothing the same, the first mentioned rotatable means being spaced apart from the last mentioned rotatable means for the purpose of affording space to allow the edges of the mold and molding pan to be inserted into said receptacle and treated with insulating substance.

3. In an apparatus for treating molds used in the art of electrotyping, a receptacle adapted to contain an insulating substance, a rotatable brush and a rotatable roller rotatable in opposite directions and spaced apart for the purpose of afl'ording space to allow the edges of the mold and molding pan to be inserted into said receptacle and treated with insulating substance.

4. In an apparatus for treating molds used in the art of electrotyping, a receptacle adapted to contain an insulating substance, consisting of rotatable means for applying the insulating substance to a molding pan and rotatable means for applying additional insulating substance to a molding pan and smoothing the same, said rotatable means having a free space between them for the purpose of allowing a mold and molding pan to be inserted into the receptacle and treated with the insulating substance.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. DUNTON.

Witnesses:

HENRY BEEKER, NETTIE F. FAIRCHILD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

